Wood, often treated with toxic wood preserving chemicals, is used in the construction of fences, stalls, corrals, and other structures to contain and house domestic and exotic animals and birds. These toxic chemical preservatives include, but are not limited to, creosote, pentachlorophenol, and arsenic salts, such as copper chromated arsenic. Chewing on and ingestion of both treated and untreated wood is known to cause severe medical problems and even the death of these animals. In addition, wood chewing can compromise the structural integrity and aesthetic appeal of the wood. Examples of such chewing can be found in domestic animals, such as dogs that chew on woodwork and furniture and horses that chew and “crib” on wooden fences, stalls, posts, and other wood structures used to house and contain them. Wood chewing by more exotic zoo animals is also prevalent.
While possibly not the worst of the wood chewing animals, horses, because of their numbers, inflict significant economic damage as a result of cribbing and wood chewing. It is thought that when a horse cribs on wood, his body releases endorphins, natural “drugs” which stimulate the pleasure center of his brain, so that he receives a “reward” (“pleasure drug”) every time he cribs. Often cribbers would rather crib than eat. Wood chewing horses can suffer colic from eating wood splinters.
This invention describes a compound that can be painted on wood structures to deter animals from chewing and cribbing.
Isophorone (3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohen-one-1) compounds have been shown effective in deterring woodpeckers when painted on wood. Isophorone compounds have been shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,305 to be highly effective in penetrating and sealing wood. While effective on woodpeckers, field tests have shown that these formulations, while effective for woodpecker deterrence, do not provide long-term protection against wood chewing by larger animals, such as horses. The present invention describes a chewing deterring coating that encapsulates and time-releases an odor that most animals find offensive. This invention is an improvement over my previously patented isophorone deterrent technology as it identifies the sense being affected and extends the effectiveness from woodpeckers to other animals, such as horses and dogs.
The invention involves the use of isophorone, absorbed in a highly absorbent organo-clay, barriered by glass flake or mica, and encased in a chemically-resistant epoxy or other polymer matrix. The highly absorbent organo-clay is used to trap the isophorone. The glass flake or mica controls the dissipation of the volatile solvent by forming a mechanical structure of overlapping glass platelets. The chemical resistant polymer matrix binds and adheres the composition to the surface. Capsules of micro-encapsulated isophorone sealant, described in my patent application “Method of Deterring Woodpeckers”, may also be incorporated to reinforce the deterrence to increase the odorant level in the coating. While the deterring odor is constantly being released, the odor gets worse when the coating surface is breached. This reinforces the “behavior” training and preventing the animal from further chewing.
The above described coating is applied to exposed wood or other surfaces as a chewing deterrent to animals, such as horses, dogs, cats, squirrels, and other larger animals.